healthy eating in schools- ofsted

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Age group Published Reference no.

Primary and secondary March 2006 HMI 2625

Of particular interest to:schools, school meal caterers and providers, parents, carers, local

authorities, DfES.

Healthy eating in schools

This report is Ofsted’s response to the increasing public concern about thequality of children’s diets and rapidly increasing rates of child obesity. Itassesses how schools have responded to guidance on school meals andhealthier eating. Its findings are based on a small scale survey of primaryand secondary schools made in preparation for a major survey of food inschools to be carried out in 2006/07. Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schoolswere accompanied by nutritionists appointed by the Food Standards

Agency. Additional evidence was gathered from school inspection reports.



© Crown copyright 2006

Document reference number: HMI 2625

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational

purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and thesource and date of publication are stated.



Healthy eating in schools

Contents

Executive summary 1

Key findings 4

Recommendations 5

Context 5

School meals 6

The standard of school meals 6

The quality of the dining experience 9

Helping pupils and parents to make healthier choices 10

Educating pupils about healthier eating 12

Developing pupils’ knowledge and personal skills 12

Teaching about healthier eating 13

Planning the curriculum 14

Managing the approach to healthier eating 15

Notes 18

Further information 19



Healthy eating in schools 1

Executive summary

This report is Ofsted’s response to the increasing public concern about thequality of children’s diets, rapidly increasing rates of child obesity and diet-

related diseases, and low consumption of fruit and vegetables by children.

As preparation for a major survey of food in schools to be carried out in2006/07, Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI), accompanied bynutritionists appointed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), undertook a smallscale survey, including visits to 10 schools from clusters of primary andsecondary schools in three local authorities. Additional evidence was gatheredfrom over 50 reports of school inspections that had been conducted under thenew framework for inspection, from reports on personal, social and healtheducation (PSHE) and from reports on schools visited as part of a survey onlearners’ health and well-being.1 Unless otherwise stated, when proportions ofschools are referred to in the report, they apply to this wider evidence base.

The report assesses how schools have responded to guidance on school mealsand healthier eating. It uses case studies as examples of how schools haveimproved pupils’ healthier eating and the quality of school meals.

The media have shown a great deal of interest in the quality of school meals,particularly in the last 12 months. Many adults, as well as children, have beenshocked to discover how some popular meat dishes have been made. For somefamilies, but by no means all, these revelations have changed their shopping

and eating habits.

Schools have a key role to play, but it is not as significant as that of parents.We must recognise that no matter what a school offers through breakfast clubs,snacks and lunches, the significant majority of children’s food and nutrientintake comes from home. Parents have the foremost responsibility to monitortheir children’s diet and weight and influence their eating habits and lifestyles.Parents also control the amount of money a child has to spend, and have aresponsibility to influence the choices their children make.

School lunches remain a key element of food consumption in schools. Under theright conditions, school meals provide an opportunity to encourage pupils to eatmore fruit and vegetables, and to develop a taste for food that is low in salt,sugar and fat. Many parents decide that their children should take a packedlunch to school. The majority of schools visited had yet to start to work withparents to seek to influence the content of packed lunches.

In a minority of the schools inspected for this survey the standard of schoolmeals had slowly improved, although the rate of improvement was more rapid

1 The report on the survey of health and well-being will be published by Ofsted in summer2006.




in primary schools than in secondary schools. In the primary schools visited,pupils were developing, and using, the necessary skills to make informedchoices about healthier meals. By comparison, secondary school students didnot always apply their knowledge when making meal selections. The quality ofthe environment in which pupils ate their lunches, and the advice available to

them on making healthier choices, were good in most primary schools but lessso in secondary schools.

Schools are also being urged to consider the food offered throughout the schoolday to ensure that it reflects the messages about healthier eating in thecurriculum. The majority of schools providing breakfast ensured that the foodand drink available were consistent with an overall healthier diet. Providing fruitdaily at break times for the youngest children had been a success and anincreasing number of primary schools were providing this for all their pupils.However, in the majority of secondary schools, students could still purchase

food from vending machines, and these sometimes contained products that didnot promote healthier eating.

In primary and secondary schools, teaching about healthier eating was oftengood. Consequently, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of healthier foods,and of a healthier diet, were at least adequate and often good. In primaryschools, pupils had the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to makeinformed choices regarding healthier meals. In secondary schools, opportunitiesfor students to link their work in different subjects to improve theirunderstanding of healthier foods were less frequent.

Most headteachers recognised that in order to adopt a coherent approach tohealthier eating they needed to develop a policy towards food. However, only aminority of schools had done so. A school’s healthier eating policy was mosteffective when it was the result of full consultation with teaching and non-teaching staff, school cooks/caterers, pupils, parents, governors and localauthority representatives.

Many catering services monitored and evaluated the take-up of school meals. Although the evaluations were normally shared with the schools, it was unclearhow much of this information was acted on. However, a minority of the schools,in their efforts to ensure the health and well-being of their pupils, had madegood progress in managing healthier eating.

The report recommends that school and catering staff should have up-to-datefactual information, support and training to enable them to understand fully keyconcepts, such as ‘healthier foods’ and ‘nutritional standards’. All schools shouldhave a food policy, although they will require help to make best use of all theadvice on offer. They should consider how they can involve pupils and theirparents more closely in the decisions taken about food; and they should workclosely with catering managers to monitor and evaluate both the quality of

school meals and the approach to healthier eating. Secondary schools with very




short lunch breaks should consider whether students and staff have enoughtime to eat their food properly and derive social benefits from eating together.




Key findings

In a minority of schools the standard of school meals had improved. Therate of improvement was more rapid in primary schools than in secondary

schools. The quality of the environment in which pupils ate their lunches was good

or better in most of the primary schools, but it was not always of suchgood quality in secondary schools.

Schools recognised how to promote healthier eating habits among theirpupils, but not all were successful in helping them to make appropriatechoices.

Most catering services monitored and evaluated the take-up of schoolmeals, but schools did not always make full use of these data.

Schools were working hard to ensure that pupils taking a free school mealcould do so without this being known to other pupils.

In primary and secondary schools, pupils’ knowledge and understanding ofhealthier foods, and of a healthier diet, were at least adequate and oftengood.

In primary schools, pupils had opportunities to develop and use the skillsnecessary to make informed choices about healthier meals. In secondaryschools, a significant minority of students did not apply their knowledgewhen making meal selections.

Teaching about healthier eating was often good or better. Cross-curricularlinks were not as well developed and good practice was not alwaysdisseminated as well in secondary schools as in primary schools.

Despite the wide range of advice given to schools, there was muchconfusion over key terms such as ‘healthier foods’ and ‘nutritionalstandards’.

Only a minority of schools had a whole-school policy on food. The extentto which schools involved pupils and their parents in developing suchpolicies was better in primary schools.

In the schools visited, the new criteria for the National Healthy SchoolsStandard were beginning to make a difference to schools’ planning forhealthier lifestyles.2

Schools and governors were not always aware of the requirements placedon them following the Education Act 1996,

In the schools visited, there had been little or no recent training forteaching or non-teaching staff relating to healthier eating.

2 National healthy school status: a guide for schools , Department of Health, 2005.




Recommendations

1. The following recommendation for national bodies arises from this survey:

• School and catering staff need up-to-date factual information, support

and training to enable them to fully understand key concepts such as ‘healthier foods’ and ‘nutritional standards’.

2. The following recommendations for schools arise from this survey:

• Secondary schools with very short lunch breaks should evaluate theirmeal provision to consider, in particular, whether pupils and staff haveenough time to eat their food properly in pleasant surroundings thatallow them to experience the social benefits of eating together.

• All schools should have a food policy. Many schools, particularly smallprimary schools, will require help to make best use of all the advice onoffer and to produce a food policy.

• Schools should consider how they can involve pupils and their parentsmore closely in the decisions taken about food in their schools.

• Schools should work closely with catering managers to monitor andevaluate the quality of school meals and the approach to healthiereating.

Context

3. Two government White Papers on public health raised concerns aboutchildren’s diet and led to the launch of a number of initiatives aimed atinfluencing school children.

• The National Healthy Schools Standard (NHSS), part of the NationalHealthy Schools Programme, seeks to promote key areas of activity in

‘healthy schools’, including healthier eating.3

• In 2000, the National School Fruit Scheme became part of the NationalHealth Service (NHS) plan for investment and reform of the healthservices.

• In 2001, a new Public Service Agreement (PSA) target involving threegovernment departments – the Department for Education and Skills(DfES), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and theDepartment of Health (DH) – committed these departments toachieving a halt by 2010 to the year-on-year increase in the prevalenceof obesity in children under 11. In April 2001, nutritional standardsbased on food groups were reintroduced in schools.

• The White Paper, ‘Choosing Health’, published in 2004, was closelyfollowed by a Food and Health action plan. These outlined thegovernment’s vision that half of all schools would be ‘healthy schools’

3 National healthy school status: a guide for schools , Department of Health, 2005.




by 2006, with the rest working towards healthy school status by2009.4,5

• The DH and DfES launched the Food in Schools programme to assistschools across England in implementing a whole-school approach to

healthier eating and drinking.• In 2005 the DfES, the DH, the FSA and the Department for

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published the HealthyLiving Blueprint for Schools. Together, the 2004 White Paper and the

‘Blueprint’ involved firm commitments to:- revise the standards for primary and secondary school meals- strongly consider introducing nutrient-based standards and,

subject to legislation, to extend new standards to cover foodserved in school across the school day in secondary schools

- work with industry and sector skill bodies to provide better

training and support for catering staff working in schools.• In March 2005, the DfES announced a number of measures to improve

food in schools, including the provision of training for school cateringstaff in healthier eating, and the inclusion of school food in the Ofstedinspection programme. At this point, the secretary of state foreducation announced the formation of the School Meals Review Paneland, shortly afterwards, the DfES produced draft guidance forheadteachers and governors on procuring a school meals service.6

School meals

The standard of school meals

4. Despite the wide range of advice given to schools, there was oftenconfusion over key terms such as ‘healthier foods’ and ‘nutritionalstandards’.7 For the purpose of this report, a healthier diet is taken tomean:

• a balanced diet with plenty of variety

• a diet which provides enough energy for satisfactory growth anddevelopment

•

plenty of fruit and vegetables• plenty of iron rich foods

• plenty of calcium rich foods

• not having sugary foods and drinks too often

4 White Paper: Making healthy choices easier , Department of Health, 2004.5 Choosing a better diet: a food and health action plan , Department of Health, 2005.6 See details at www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthyliving/foodanddrink 7

Specific information on nutritional requirements for pupils of different ages is provided in Thecommittee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) Report : DietaryReference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom, London, HMSO, 1991.




• not having too many fatty foods

• not having too much salt.

5. Most schools visited for this survey regarded school lunches as a key area

for improvement because they provided an opportunity to reinforcemessages about healthier eating from the classroom. They recognised thatschool meals contribute to a child’s food and nutrient intake; they couldencourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables and to develop ataste for food low in salt, sugar and fat. In these schools, improving therange of healthier options led to increased take up of school meals.Proportionately more primary pupils took a school meal than secondarypupils.

Good provision

6.

In a minority of schools the standard of school meals had improved. Thefactors that most commonly contributed to this were:

• meals cooked on the school site

• menus planned well in advance and shared with pupils and theirparents, who submitted orders for meals on some/all days

• locally sourced fresh produce used in the preparation of school meals

• fruit always served and a choice of at least two vegetables

• water freely available for pupils

•

a gradually increasing range of food served to pupils• limited access to some foods, such as chips

• themed days to increase the take-up of meals and imaginative attemptsto encourage pupils to eat school meals

• encouragement from cooks and lunchtime supervisors to pupils tosample new foods and eat all their meal, whether a school meal or apacked lunch, and guidance provided if poor selections are made

• in nearly all cases, good provision for pupils with special dietary needs.

Poor provision

7. Not all pupils had access to good quality school meals. In a significantminority of schools, a number of factors had a negative impact on thequality.

• No on-site cooking facilities. This was particularly a problem for primaryschools. If cooked meals were delivered to the schools, they could belukewarm when served and appeared less than appetising to the pupils.

• A lack of consistent support for pupils in making informed healthierchoices.




• No formal monitoring of healthier eating, which meant that schoolscould not build on good practice or intervene to eradicate poor practice.

• A very low take-up of school meals, which limited the furtherdevelopment of healthier choices.

• A lack of opportunity for pupils and their parents to opt in to theschools meals system as they wished, preventing pupils from samplingmeals more frequently or eating them on days when parents knew theyliked a particular meal.

8. An increasing number of schools, most often primary schools, were awarethat improving the standard of school meals was only part of a broaderwhole-school approach to ensuring pupils’ health and well-being. In theseschools, all food and drink had to comply with the higher standards beingexpected of school meals, as in the following example.

Extract from an inspector’s notebookThe cook of this primary school currently has 60p per day to pay for allfood ingredients. The decision was taken to move to locally sourcedvegetables and fruit from organic suppliers.She instigated a survey of parents and pupils to determine each pupil’slikes and dislikes, as well as to identify any related allergies or pupils’

particular dietary needs.She produced, in advance, a full weekly menu that was circulated to

parents and pupils. Pupils were encouraged to make their selections, withthe opportunity to have a school meal on each day of the week or only on

particular days, according to their own choices.Meals have become increasingly adventurous with theme days proving tobe very popular. One day each week is a ‘picnic day’. This contains hotand cold foods but there is no set meal. In the summer, the picnic is takenout to the school grounds where staff and pupils eat lunch together.The cook has also been responsible for changes to the servingarrangements. All meals are now served directly to each pupil rather thanset out in advance. While airline-style trays are used for pupils in KeyStage 1, Key Stage 2 pupils are given plates and dishes for their lunch.This has proved very popular with the pupils.

When selecting foods, pupils are encouraged to try new selections and areallowed to sample. There has been an increased take-up of a wider rangeof vegetables. On most days, at least three different vegetables areavailable. There is usually at least one cooked dessert, while fresh fruit isalways available.The increased match of provision to pupils’ tastes has led to a dramaticreduction in the amount of wasted food.

9. Secondary schools also recognised the importance of school meals in theiroverall strategy to ensure pupils adopted a healthier lifestyle. Schools

should work closely with pupils and their parents in developing a policyabout food and drink. A headteacher said to inspectors:




The school has a whole-school approach to encouraging pupils to adopthealthier lifestyles. We have worked closely with pupils, parents and staffto develop our strategy for improving lifestyles.Part of this is to ensure best practice in providing food and drink

throughout the school day. Breakfast, break and lunch selections arecoordinated to ensure that pupils cannot select the same food dishes inmore than one meal each day. This has broadened the range of dishesthat pupils select and has led to increased consumption of fruit andvegetables.

10. In most of the secondary schools included in this survey, a significantnumber of pupils did not eat breakfast. This had the potential to affect thebalance and variety of their daily diet and also had an impact on theirability to settle in the mornings and their readiness to learn. To tackle this,

some schools offered a breakfast of healthier foods.

11. A small minority of schools provided tuck shops and vending machinesthat offered healthier options such as natural fruit juices, dried fruit, breadrolls, soup, fresh fruit and vegetables. Other schools, through theirvending machines, continued to offer foods which were high in salt andsugar, and high-sugar drinks; this contradicted the messages abouthealthier eating that they were trying to communicate elsewhere.

The quality of the dining experience

12. The quality of the environment in which pupils ate their lunches was goodor better in most of the primary schools, but was not always so insecondary schools.

Extract from an inspector’s notebook

The primary school dining area is a pleasant space. Tables and chairs arecolourful and bright. Pupils are encouraged to talk in a quiet voice andconsistent ‘good table’ behaviour is rewarded by the table hosting a largefabric stuffed toy in the shape of a red tomato. Pupils are expected to bemature and thoughtful, and tables comprise mixed classes and year

groups. Pupils talk well together and all pupils are included inconversations. They enjoy eating in the canteen. Packed lunches areeaten alongside the school meals, so that all pupils are included in thelunch activities.Tables are kept clean. This contributes to an environment which isconducive to a pleasurable meal. The dining area is used only for mealsand rarely as an additional teaching space, so none of the lunchtime istaken up with moving furniture.

13. In secondary schools, the dining accommodation and the conditions under

which pupils ate their lunches were variable and, at times, poor. Aminority of schools had such short lunch breaks that pupils and staff had




too little time to eat their food in pleasant surroundings. As a result, theylost the social benefits of eating together. Catering staff and supervisorsdid not have the time to guide pupils to healthier food options. In extremecases, pupils bought their meals from the dining area, but had to eatthem, including some hot meals, elsewhere.

14. Not all secondary school dining conditions were so poor. In one school,the inspection report had highlighted the poor dining facilities and theschool had responded positively by enhancing the provision.


Students are well received in the dining areas. The dining room is quitesmall, but the space is used extremely well. Students are encouraged toeat in the designated areas and the overwhelming majority do so.Improvements to the range and quality of the meals have led to increased

levels of use of the dining areas by staff and students.Students, whether taking a school meal or eating a packed lunch, eattogether, making lunch a pleasant, social experience. Behaviour at lunchtime is excellent. There is little litter.

15. In a majority of schools, a recent but highly beneficial development wasthe availability of water, not only during the lunch break but throughoutthe day. In the best cases, schools encouraged pupils to have their ownwater bottle and hence maintained good standards of hygiene.

Helping pupils and parents to make healthier choices16. Most schools recognised the important contribution they could make to

promoting healthier eating habits in their pupils. However, few schoolssucceeded in ensuring that pupils were supported in making appropriatechoices. One primary school used the ‘School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme’as a stimulus to revise practice. The headteacher said:

When the scheme was introduced for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 pupils, the school took the opportunity to reassess its policy on healthiereating and drinking. Following a full consultation with parents, we decided

to make radical changes to what children could eat and drink at playtimes.Previously, they could bring in more or less what they wanted, with crisps,sweets and chocolate bars being very common.With fruit being provided for the younger pupils, we decided to extend thisto Key Stage 2 as well and said that they could eat only fruit at playtimes.

At the same time, we agreed that only water or milk would be available at playtimes and that pupils would have access to water throughout the day. Although there was some resistance from a minority of parents, thechanges have been implemented successfully and pupils are enjoying awider range of fruits and vegetables at all meal times.




17. Pupils in primary schools were supported well when making appropriatechoices of food at lunchtime and were more likely than secondary schoolpupils to be encouraged to sample new foods before making their finalchoice.

Extract from an inspector’s notebookThe midday supervisor distributes stickers for those pupils who havechosen to eat a healthier lunch. The contents of pupils’ packed lunchboxes are also scrutinised and award stickers are presented to pupils whomeet the required standards.

18. Students in secondary schools were less well served. Few received thesupport they might have needed to make healthier choices. Speedyservice in very short lunch breaks gave cooks and supervisors too littletime to influence students’ choices. This was not helped by poorly

displayed advice on healthier eating. Menus were not prominentlydisplayed in the school, or in dining areas, preventing students fromhaving the time to consider their meal selection. Other schools hadadapted their serving arrangements effectively so that students could viewthe entire range of healthier options before making their selections.

19. An increasing number of schools – mainly primary schools – shared theirmenus in advance with pupils and their parents. Most frequently, themenus were sent home a month in advance, with the healthier eatingoptions highlighted. Schools which shared their menus with pupils and

allowed them to elect to take meals when they wished saw a significantincrease in the numbers taking school meals.

20. However, children have most of their meals at home and it is here wherethe greatest influence on a child’s diet is likely to be seen. Parents have aresponsibility to make sure that they know what sort of food their childrenneed for their day to day activities and to do their best to meet theseneeds. There are many sources of information for parents to learn moreabout children’s dietary needs.

21. Few schools had given advice to parents to help them to provide ahealthier packed lunch for their children. Where they had done so, primaryschools which monitored packed lunches were able to raise any concernsdirectly with parents. As a result, they saw a marked improvement in thequality, so that it provided a key part of a healthier diet.

22. Schools had established ways of working with others to promote thehealth and well-being of pupils. One headteacher reported:

The school nurse takes a very active role in the life of many pupils. As wellas carrying out routine checks on all pupils, she provides support and

training for parents and staff. The sessions have helped to further parents’




knowledge regarding healthier eating and have helped to raise awarenessregarding many health and safety issues.

23. Other schools worked with community health staff to promote healthierliving for parents, such as courses for parents on food and nutrition skills

and weekly keep-fit sessions for women.

Educating pupils about healthier eating

Developing pupils’ knowledge and personal skills

24. In primary and secondary schools, pupils’ knowledge and understanding ofhealthier foods and of a healthier diet were at least adequate and oftengood.

25. In primary schools, through work in the curriculum and through ‘circle

time’ discussions, pupils had the opportunity to develop the skillsnecessary to make informed choices regarding healthier meals.


Throughout the school, pupils have a good understanding of whatconstitutes a healthy diet. Their selections from the school meals provisionand the range of foods within their lunch boxes reflect good application oftheir knowledge of healthier foods.The school has promoted the move towards healthier food. It has workedwith parents to ensure that they appreciate healthier options, in packed

lunches as well as school meals.

26. Most primary school pupils had opportunities to develop their social andpersonal skills.


Pupils’ table manners are very good. Although they use airline-style traysthroughout, the school has organised a system that encourages propereating. From the Reception year onwards, pupils are encouraged to placethe tray on the table, so that their main meal is facing towards them.When they have eaten the main meal, they are asked to seek permissionbefore they turn the tray round to eat their dessert. This system worksextremely well and enables the lunchtime supervisors to monitor whether

pupils are eating their meals properly.The monitoring of lunchboxes has ensured that pupils are eatingappropriately and are also eating everything that their parents have

provided.

27. In secondary schools, opportunities for students to link their work indifferent subjects to improve their understanding of healthier foods wereless frequent. Of more concern in the majority of schools was the scarcity

of advice when students were making food choices. As a result, a




significant minority of students did not apply their knowledge whenchoosing their meal.

28. For a variety of reasons, including a lack of seating space, school mealswere provided under conditions similar to commercial ‘fast food’ outlets,

with insufficient adult supervision. As a result, students did not alwayshave the chance to develop their social and personal skills further or tomake healthier eating choices.

29. When pupils had a good knowledge of healthier eating, they made avaluable contribution to the debate about improving the standard of foodin schools. Although school councils were often involved, greater successwas achieved if the school established a separate food group.


The School Nutrition Action Group at this girls’ school was concerned thatschool meals, amongst other things, did not meet the dietary needs of all

pupils and that only a limited range of dishes were offered.The group met the school and local authority caterers to discuss theirconcerns. The range of meals offered now meets the needs of allstudents, with a choice of hot meals available throughout the lunch

period.

30. Schools worked hard to ensure that pupils who were eligible to have afree school meal could do so without it being known to other pupils. An

increasing number of secondary schools had introduced a ‘cashless’system, which dealt with this problem and also allowed the school andparents to monitor what pupils were eating.

Teaching about healthier eating

31. Teaching about healthier eating arose in a number of subjects. In primaryschools, the quality of the planning and teaching of this cross-curricularwork was often at least good: core themes were explored appropriately.In secondary schools, teaching about healthier eating was often good infood technology lessons, health and social care, PSHE and science. It was

planned effectively to support and underpin healthier eating. But, unlikeprimary schools, secondary schools did not develop cross-curricular linksso well and opportunities were missed to exploit good practice fully.

32. Increasingly, a range of professionals supported teachers. In one primaryschool, the cook had undertaken a course so that she could teach aspectsof food preparation to all year groups in a way that supported learning inother subjects as well as contributing to pupils’ understanding of healthiereating.

33.

In an increasing number of secondary schools, an appropriate range ofhealth professionals supported the teaching of health and social care and




PSHE. As a result, pupils enjoyed these courses and found them relevant,for instance in their coverage of such issues as eating disorders.

Planning the curriculum

34.

Most headteachers recognised that in order to adopt a coherent approachto healthier eating, they needed to develop a policy towards food in theirschools. Only a minority of schools, however, had such a policy. Schoolswere not reluctant to develop these policies and had been given a greatdeal of helpful advice on all aspects of food in schools. However, theextent of the advice offered had posed difficulties for some schools. Inparticular, small schools did not have the time or staff resources torespond to all the advice offered and to produce a whole-school foodpolicy based on consultations with pupils, parents and staff.

35.

Many schools were developing a policy in parts. For example, a majority ofprimary schools did not allow chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks in school. A small minority of secondary schools included in this survey preventedpupils from leaving the school in the lunch break, so that they could morereadily engage with them on selecting healthier food options.

36. A school’s healthier eating policy was most effective when it was the resultof full consultation with teaching and non-teaching staff, schoolcooks/caterers, pupils, parents, governors and local authorityrepresentatives.

37. The aims of a school’s food policy should be to improve health and well-being, equip pupils to make informed choices about food throughout theirlives, and ensure equal access for all.8 It should be part of the school’simprovement plan to ensure that training is funded appropriately and thatother resource needs are met. The policy should bring together all aspectsof food in the school to give coherence, clarity and consistency. It should

• state clearly its aims, objectives and success criteria

• affect all aspects of food provision, for example breakfast clubs, tuckshops, school lunches, vending machines, fluid consumption and use of

food as a reward• include the consumption of food, the eating environment, service style,

time, litter, pupils’ own food brought to school, packed lunches(including information to parents) and commercial food vending vans

• ensure that the lunch break experience contributes positively to thepupils’ personal development, including the seating and queuingarrangements

8 For advice to governors seehttp://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2005/nov/schoolgovernors




• underpin the formal curriculum through subjects such as foodtechnology, science, PSHE and citizenship

• include pastoral care and welfare issues, for example behaviour andfree school lunches

•

include extra curricular activities, for example cookery clubs and schoolgardens

• provide clear guidance relating to participation in national events andinitiatives, such as the National School Fruit Scheme and the NationalHealthy School Standard

• include events and lettings at school, for example a school fête.

38. Most primary schools had identified a subject coordinator to lead theplanning. Where this happened, it ensured good links between planning

and teaching aspects of healthier eating. In many secondary schools,promoting healthier eating occurred throughout the school but, when noone teacher had responsibility for this, opportunities were missed for theschool to extend and build on its good practice.

39. Good practice was observed in some secondary schools.


The curriculum provision in relation to food and healthier eating is verygood. Awareness of how it is taught across the curriculum is beingextended to include a greater understanding of how the work will betaught and what outcomes are expected.In science, healthier eating and nutrition are covered well in a coherentand progressive manner. The provision in design and technology (food)has changed at Key Stage 4, where GCSE catering has replaced foodtechnology. The course is proving to be more popular and incorporates abasic food hygiene qualification that all pupils achieve at the start of theYear 10 course. All pupils participate in two weeks’ work experience as

part of the course. Links with local restaurants and hotels are very good.PSHE and physical education (PE) also contribute effectively to pupils’understanding of a healthier lifestyle and the need for a balanced diet. PE

teachers are now included in discussions on school food so that snackchoices for sports and matches can be included in the school food policy.

40. The new criteria for the National Healthy Schools Standard were beginningto have an impact on schools’ planning. The importance of healthierlifestyles and the place of food in schools provided a framework againstwhich schools were able to plan their whole-school policy and provision.

Managing the approach to healthier eating

41.

Many catering services monitored and evaluated the take-up of schoolmeals. Although the evaluations were normally shared with the schools, it




was unclear how much of this information was acted on. A minority of theschools, in their efforts to ensure the health and well-being of their pupils,had made good progress in managing healthier eating.


The school has clear, well written policies on meals and healthier eatingwhich have influenced the development of very good practice. The use ofsurveys has ensured that parents and pupils have been involved inmonitoring and evaluating the provision.The headteacher has given the cook very good support, not only in termsof developing healthier meals but also in ensuring the availability oftraining. This has enabled the cook to support teaching and learning aboutfood and food preparation.

42. Other schools had worked extremely well with catering services to ensure

that the wishes of pupils, their parents and the staff were properlyaddressed. In some cases, this had resulted in the sourcing of meat andvegetables from local suppliers, often from companies dealing in organicproduce.

43. Some secondary schools had identified ways to influence the take-up ofhealthier foods by reviewing the way that students paid for their mealsand snacks. One catering manager told inspectors:

In our school, we have introduced ‘cashless’ catering. This has allowed

students, parents and staff to monitor more closely, and at an individuallevel, what is eaten at breaks and lunchtimes. Kitchens have opened atbreak, selling only healthier options such as soup, rolls and toast. Therange of hot meals, salads, baguettes and sandwiches at lunchtime hasbeen widened. As a result, pupils’ expenditure in local shops has

plummeted.Currently, the school is changing the food and drinks available in vendingmachines, with healthier options subsidised for an introductory period.

44. Communication with pupils, their parents and the staff was improving.School councils and surveys offered them opportunities to comment onschool food. Comments were communicated to the school food group,governors and catering staff.

45. Schools and governors were not always aware of the requirements placedon them, following changes to the Education Act 1996. Governors should:

• establish a clear strategy for catering, ensuring that cateringrequirements are clearly identified in the school development plan

• set clear financial and performance objectives for catering, decidingwhether the service should be run at a profit or be subsidised

•

set out clear charging policies for meals linked to the financialobjectives for the catering service.




46. Governors are also responsible for all health and safety issues, and formatters related to food hygiene. They are required to provide free lunchesto qualifying pupils whose parents request them. However, the localauthority is responsible for repairing and maintaining equipment, and has

to ensure that catering facilities comply with health and hygienestandards.

47. In the schools visited, there had been little or no recent training forteaching or non-teaching staff relating to healthier eating. Even whentraining had been provided there had been a lack of guidance on theimpact it was supposed to have on the individual and on the school.




Notes

In December 2005, Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI), accompanied bynutritionists appointed by the FSA, visited 10 schools from clusters of primary

and secondary schools in three local authorities. Additional evidence wasgathered from over 50 reports of school inspections that had been conductedbetween September and December 2005 under the new framework forinspection, as well as from reports on personal, social and health education(PSHE) and from reports on schools visited as part of the 2005/06 survey onlearners’ health and well-being. Unless otherwise stated, when proportions ofschools are referred to in the report, they apply to this wider evidence base.




Further information

http://www.healthyschools.gov.uk This is the website for the National Healthy Schools Programme.

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/schoollunches/default.shtmlThis gives information about the compulsory nutritional standards for schoollunches.

healthy eating in schools- ofsted

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